Vegan cafe from South Africa opening second location right here in Charlotte
Tallulah Duffin co-owns Oh My Soul with her husband, Richard, who both hail from South Africa.
They started serving up hearty vegan food – waffles, “vurgers” and way more – just over a year ago at Oh My Soul Café in Durban North, which overlooks the Indian Ocean.
Regular visits to Charlotte to see Duffin’s brother exposed them to Charlotte and its different neighborhoods.
“We’ve kind of fallen in love with (Charlotte) and the people and the Southern hospitality,” she said. “We love NoDa itself. It’s very eclectic, it’s very vibey and lots going on.”
The two tossed the idea of opening NoDa’s first completely vegan restaurant back and forth for about a year, noting there were vegan options in the neighborhood but no spot with 100 percent dedication to veganism.
They saw the opportunity when Red House Cafe closed earlier this year, and they made the move to Charlotte four months ago.
‘Significant improvements’: Red House Cafe is now blue
“Significant improvements” to the mill house at the corner of East 34th and North Davidson streets are nearly finished, according to Duffin. Customers could indulge vegan ribs, an extensive selection of waffles and food seasoned with herbs from their onsite garden before Christmas.
And anyone who dined at Red House Cafe and dines at Oh My Soul won’t recognize it, Duffin said.
“It couldn’t be lighter, brighter, more inviting, great energy. It’s completely different,” she said.
Eating vegan leads to a healthier lifestyle, but the purpose behind veganism goes beyond diet, Duffin said. Oh My Soul believes compassion, empathy and kindness starts with you and your plate.
“A lot of what we’re going to be about is about informing and educating so that you can make the right decision going forward … it’s about making a difference,” Duffin said.
“I think once you establish an emotional connection – that being, it feels, it sees, it smells, it loves just like you and me – you realize that it can’t enjoy suffering.”
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 1:23 PM.